Last Saturday, another casino in Macau became the target of organized protests from casino staff union. The SJM Holdings which manages the Lisboa and Grand Lisboa casinos was surrounded by casino staff, which demanded better payment and working conditions.
There were close to 700 protesters who brought posters saying “the same work, the same salary”. The slogan was aimed at the SJM Holdings’ casinos, as they pay less to their staff compared to the salaries of the employees of other Macau casinos. There are five more casino operators in Macau.
The unrest among employees has risen over the past two months as they demand a bigger share of the Macau Gaming industry’s profits.
Even though the former protests were targeted at all the six casino operators, SJM has been the major target as it is the market leader. On the August 30st Grand Lisboa casino was boycotted, when six hundred of its employees asked for a sick leave suggesting that SJM should find temporary substitutes from its other casinos.
After that demonstration SJM did not change their payment policy but their sick leave policy, according to which employees can receive a sick leave only from doctors partnered with SJM casinos. The association that takes care of casino workers in Macau – Forefront for Macau Gaming, asked for a meeting with management from the SJM, as well as representatives of the Labor Affairs Bureau to talk about possible solutions to the issue.
The meeting was to be held last Wednesday, but it this did not happen, which became one of the main reasons for the protests last Saturday.
SJM tried to reduce the number of its employees at the protests, by reminding them that many of the directors at the Forefront for Macau Gaming are also employees of the other casino operators. The protesters answered that provocation by wearing black and white t-shirts with the slogan “I am an SJM employee”.
SJM Holdings tried to give “peace offering” proposition to its staff in the form of additional two months wages each year from now until 2020. The protesters, headed by the FMG, refused, demanding a monthly salary increase of 10 percent including the proposed bonus from SJM.
Employees of the MGM China also joined the protest movement, meeting the Labor Affairs Bureau last Monday. Their demands resembled those of SJM employees – better working environment and better payments. The employees are also worried that the new smoking regulations taking effect as of next month, are not going to improve the health conditions at their work place.
The new law does not allow smoking in the main public areas of casinos, however VIP lounges and areas for special gamblers do not fall under that description. The employees are worried that they will still be affected by second-hand smoke throughout their working hours. The exception also includes premium gambling tables and VIP gaming halls.
